ATLANTA -- A new study finds American adults have a significantly higher rate of obesity than their neighbors to the north.

About 24 percent of Canadians are obese compared to more than 34 percent of Americans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the comparisons from 2007 through 2009 data.

It's the first time the U.S. health agency has compared American obesity rates with another country. The report adds to a growing pile of studies that show Americans are less healthy than people in other developed nations.

The two countries have different racial demographics, and U.S. blacks and Hispanics have higher obesity rates than whites. But even looking solely at white people, the American rate was higher.